Department for Education

Schools: Health Education

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the role of the school curriculum in educating children and young people about health promotion and preventing avoidable chronic disease in later life.

Lord Nash: All schools are required to teach a broadly balanced curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, and prepares them for adult life. The national curriculum focuses on the essential knowledge children need so that teachers can design a wider school curriculum that is responsive to the needs of their pupils. This teaching can include a range of topics, including lessons about health and chronic disease. These topics can fall under Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education. We have made it clear in the introduction to the national curriculum that all schools should make provision for high quality; age appropriate PSHE. To help schools plan their provision, the PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study for schools to follow, which includes content about ‘Health and Wellbeing’.

Academies: Pay

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the salaries paid to chief executives of multi-academy trusts in the last academic year for which figures are available.

Lord Nash: Information about the salaries of chief executives is not held. However, academy trusts’ financial statements disclose the number of employees whose remuneration (including any termination payments) exceed £60,000, in £10,000 bandings. The financial statements also disclose trustees’ remuneration, which may include the chief executive. The financial statements are published online by the Department for Education (available by searching “Department for Education” AND “Compare school and college performance”) and at Companies House (available by searching “Companies House service”).

HM Treasury

UK Membership of EU

Lord Inglewood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the annual tax revenues derived from business activities dependent upon membership of the European Single Market; and what is the UK's annual net contribution to the EU budget.

Lord Young of Cookham: As noted in the previous written answer in question (HL131), there have been no new estimates made for the impact on tax revenue since the EU referendum. Details of UK net contributions to the EU Budget over the period 2011-12 to 2015-16 can be found in Table C1, page 194, of the 2016 Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (Cm 9322) which was published in July. This is available in the House library. This table also includes the Office for Budget Responsibility’s March forecast of UK net contributions to the EU Budget for the period 2016-17 to 2019-20.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

North Korea: Sexual Offences

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 8 June (HL359) and 16 June (HL388) on the subject of violence against women and girls, whether the British Embassy in Pyongyang or the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have raised the issue of rape and sexual violence of women and girls by North Korean public officials with North Korea since June 2016.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not raised this specific issue since the previous answers (HL359 and HL388) in June 2016. However, we continue to raise our concerns on human rights directly with the regime of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Most recently, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office my Honourable Friend the member for Reading West (Mr Sharma), summoned the Ambassador for the DPRK to the Foreign Commonwealth Office, where Mr Sharma made clear our concerns that the regime was prioritising its nuclear and ballistic missile programme ahead of the welfare of its people. In addition, we are currently working with partners at the UN General Assembly Third Committee on a strong resolution to maintain international attention on the human rights situation in the DPRK.

North Korea: Human Rights

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 16 June (HL392), whether the British Embassy in North Korea had presented a copy of the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to North Korean officials by 10 October.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As stated in answer HL392, the British Embassy in Pyongyang presented the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with a statement supporting the UN Commission of Inquiry's (COI) findings from the former Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire). This statement was rejected by the MFA. The DPRK is fully aware of the COI report's findings, but refuses to substantively engage on human rights issues and regularly denounces the UN COI report as a politically motivated fabrication.

North Korea: Embassies

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the direct costs of the British Embassy in Pyongyang, broken down into (1) locally employed staff, (2) estate expenditure, (3) security, (4) vehicle costs, (5) travel, (6) subsistence and (7) allowances; and what is the cost of Foreign and Commonwealth Office funded activities broken down by individual projects in North Korea for 2016.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The total budget allocation for the British Embassy in Pyongyang this financial year is £203,627, which is used to cover a variety of costs including the estate, local travel, fuel and vehicle maintenance and local staff wages. For operational and security reasons we do not disclose the precise breakdown of the costs of maintaining certain posts. The bilateral programme fund budget for the British Embassy Pyongyang this financial year is approximately £235,000, which includes £200,000 for the British Council English Language Programme, £9,456 for a project to support disabled people in South Hamgyong and North Pyongan province, and £16,691 to provide a secure supply of drinking water to a remote North Korean community.

Bangladesh: Terrorism

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the increase in jihadist attacks in Bangladesh; and what discussions they have had with the government of Bangladesh to ensure that the country does not become a new centre for jihadist violence.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: ​​The British Government is concerned by the increase in terrorist and extremist-related violence in Bangladesh. Since the 1 July 2016 attack on the Holey Bakery Café in Dhaka, targeting foreign nationals, the Government has continued to raise its concerns over security directly with the Bangladeshi government. I did so with Prime Minister Hasina's Defence and Security Advisor, Major General (rt) Tarique Ahmed Siddique on 8 September. This issue was also raised by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma) when he met with the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, on 23 September.We will continue to engage with regional partners and the wider international community to support efforts to address terrorism, extremism, and to promote human rights in Bangladesh.

Ilois: Resettlement

Lord Steel of Aikwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 2 August (HL1270) concerning resettlement of the Chagos Islands, whether the remaining work is now completed and when an announcement on possible resettlement will be made.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have consulted a range of stakeholders as we work towards a decision on the question of resettlement of the British Indian Ocean Territory. The Government is still considering its policy in this area and will announce developments to Parliament and the public by the end of the year.

Ministry of Defence

Syria: Military Intervention

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who authorised the use of RAF aircraft in the 17 September air attack on Syrian government ground forces at Deir ez-Zor in Syria and why; and how many members of the Syrian government military forces were (1) killed, and (2) wounded, in that attack.

Earl Howe: A coalition investigation into the 17 September air attack which inadvertently targeted Syrian government ground forces is ongoing. It would be inappropriate to comment before that process is completed.

Syria: Military Intervention

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the use of the UK's air power against armed forces of the Syrian government has been authorised by Parliament.

Earl Howe: The UK does not deliberately use air power against the armed forces of the Syrian government and therefore Parliament has not been asked to authorise such a requirement.

Middle East: Military Intervention

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any British forces in either Iraq or Syria are under the command of US officers.

Earl Howe: The coalition's counter-Daesh military response in Iraq and Syria is directed by the US commander of the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF).All UK forces in Iraq and Syria remain under national command, apart from UK military personnel embedded into coalition posts in the CJTF. However, embedded personnel are still bound by UK law, policy and guidance on response in an armed conflict.

Cabinet Office

Local Government: Elections

Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to retain the right of non-British EU citizens to vote in local government elections once the UK has left the EU; and, if so, by what legislative means.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: This issue will be a matter for the EU exit negotiations.

Prime Minister

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what new units have been established and which units have been closed in 10 Downing Street since the appointment of the new Prime Minister.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen: There have been no substantive changes in 10 Downing Street since the appointment of the new Prime Minister.